


Something Something Intricate Rituals

by candiedgrapes



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Nyotalia, This is basically just the plot to buon san valentino but nyotalia version, Valentine's Day, and i wrote it in 2 days, even tho it's also not, just a couple of gals being pals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candiedgrapes/pseuds/candiedgrapes
Summary: Alice finds out Monika has never been on a Valentine's day date before and takes matters into her own hands.
Relationships: Germany/North Italy (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Something Something Intricate Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> Just so it's not confusing, I went with the 'official' nyotalia names when possible, so:  
> Alice - N.Italy  
> Monika - Germany  
> Chiara - S.Italy  
> Carmen - Spain  
> Amelia - America

"I can't believe he cancelled right before Valentine's day!" Alice cries, in a voice that sends birds flying in the streets.

Monika sighs, awkwardly patting her best friend's head in an attempt to be comforting. They were supposed to be out getting brunch after an early meeting, before Alice got the text. Now they're sitting outside on a bench, Alice sobbing hard against her shoulder.

"I had a whole new outfit planned and everything," she continues, squeezing Monika's arm tight against her chest, "And now it's too late to find another date. I'm going to be all alone on Valentine's day of all days. Valentine's day!"

She wipes her tear-stained face all over Monika's brand new jacket, sniffling directly into the sparkly clean wool and leaving wet patches as she pulls away. Monika winces at the action, but she doesn't have it in her heart to scold her. Alice is looking up at her with bright and shiny eyes, her mouth quivering ever so slightly, and Monika has never been able to resist those puppy dog eyes of hers. Not outside of work anyways. She tears her eyes away, staring off into the street.

"You know," she says, coughing into her hand to clear her throat, "I really don't understand what the big deal is. It's not like you couldn't find a date any other day of the year. It's just Valentine's day."

Alice gasps, releasing her friend's arm so she can flail her own around wildly. "It's different!" she says, "Valentine's day is different!"

"What's different about it?"

"It's the most romantic day of the year!"

"Ahh," she says, though she still doesn't really understand, "I get it now."

Alice sees right through her, pouting as she collapses further down into the bench.

"You don't get it at all," she says.

"Not really, no."

"Haven't you ever had a really good Valentine's day date? You know, the kind where he buys you flowers, and takes you out for dinner, and you spend all night smooching on the veranda?" She says the last part while making a kissy face, wrapping her arms around herself like she's being hugged.

Monika snorts, the corner of her lip turning up just a bit.

"No, I can't say I have," she says.

Alice sighs.

"Well I'm telling you, it's the best. You need to tell the men in your life to step up their game this year."

Monika raises a brow, "What makes you think I have any men in my life? I'll be just as alone this year as you will be."

"What?" Alice says, springing forward with her mouth hung open in shock, "So we're both alone this year?"

"Ja, it seems like it."

She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest, "What is this world coming to if two single and attractive ladies like us can't find dates?"

"It's not like I was really looking for one to begin with. Valentine's day isn't as important to me as it is to you. Honestly, I don't think I've ever really celebrated it."

There's a beat of silence while Alice processes what she just said, then suddenly her eyes widen. She whips her head around to gape at Monika.

"Never?" she says, utterly bewildered by the prospect.

Monika shakes her head, "Not that I remember, no—"

"Oh my God, we have to fix that!"

Her eyes sparkle with determination, and Monika pales at the sight. She remembers the last time her friend had tried to set her up on a date, and that did not end well. There were tears involved, mostly his, and she made a vow to herself that she'd never let Alice rope her into something like that again.

"Nein," she says, trying not to let Alice know how much she loathes the idea, "You really don't have to go through all that trouble for me."

Alice laughs, grabbing Monika's arm again just to lean up against her. "Don't be silly," she says, "It's no trouble at all. After all, that's what best friends are for, right?"

She turns to face Monika, and from the look on her face you could hardly tell that she'd just been crying. All her sorrows from earlier seem to have vanished without a trace, replaced by a huge grin stretching across her face.

Monika feels herself falter. She made a vow, she promised herself, she has to say no... but another quick glance at Alice tells her that she's already lost. She looks so happy right now that she doesn't know how to tell her. Monika stares at her feet, ashamed with herself.

"Ja. Okay."

Alice grins even wider, swinging herself up off the bench and onto her feet, literally jumping with joy.

"Yay!" she shouts, hands up in the air, "I've got a date with Monika! Valentine's day is back on!"

Wait... what? Monika snaps her head up so fast she's surprised it doesn't break.

"Huh? she says dumbly, sure she's misunderstanding something. Alice doesn't hear her though, too busy celebrating.

It's crazy how much energy she has sometimes, dancing in the streets without all the joy of a man just off death's row. Usually Monika would find it unbearably cute, but right now she's just panicking. What exactly does Alice mean when she says 'a date'?

She stops to spin around, oblivious to all the thoughts running through her friend's head. She strikes a cool pose and winks, saying, "I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow, okay? I'm gonna make this the best first Valentine's day ever!"

"Okay?" she agrees, feeling a bit lost for words.

Alice leaps forward to hug her, crushing her head into her chest, and Monika blushes at the skinship. "You're the best friend ever!" she says, followed by a gasp, and then a slightly quieter, "Oh, but that means I'll have to plan an entirely new date. I should probably get going now if I want to get everything ready by tomorrow."

"You'll need an entire day for that?"

"Of course! I have to make this the best date ever after all. Oh, this is going to be so great, I can't wait," she squeals, suddenly turning on her heel to leave, "Ciao Monika! Don't forget, eight o'clock!"

"Uh, ja," Monika says, still not entirely sure what's going on, "I'll be ready."

She raises her hand up to wave goodbye and Alice waves back at her, smiling. She feels more motivated than she's ever been in her entire life. It was an Italian's duty to bring joy and love to all the beautiful women of the world— especially on Valentine's day— and she was going to fulfill that duty to the best of her ability.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monika stands alone in the shower, sighing contently at the hot water running down her back. She's washing her hair for their outing tonight. She's had some time to calm down since yesterday, and she's come to the conclusion that Alice definitely didn't mean it like 'that', even if a small part of her wishes that she did. At their last meeting Amelia had been talking about throwing a Galentine's day party, so Alice must have gotten the idea from her.

She finishes washing all the suds out from her hair, stepping away from the stream of water, and turning the faucet off. The shower curtain creaks as she pulls it open, stepping out just a human ball of steam, and drying her feet off on the bathmat. She pulls a towel off the rack and wraps it around her body, tucking it in in the front before grabbing a smaller towel to dry her hair with. She wipes the condensation off the mirror above her sink, frowning when it reveals her reflection.

"Maybe I should be doing something special," she whispers, fluffing up her hair with the towel.

It isn't like Monika spends no time on her appearance, but even she can admit that her approach is somewhat utilitarian. She cut her hair short because it was easier to deal with, and while her clothes are quite practical, they're not exactly stylish.

She frowns. Alice never said she had an issue with it, but Monika knows she cares about that kind of thing. She takes a lot of pride in her fashion sense and it shows. Monika's even complimented her on it a few times. The way she can choose just about anything and make it look flattering on her, it's just not a talent that Monika possesses.

The mirror starts to fog up again but she makes no effort to stop it. She steps away, throwing her smaller towel in the laundry bin and walking out the door.

The hallway is cold, so she dashes through the house to get to her bedroom. When there, she shuts the door behind her with a click, throwing her main towel onto a separate drying rack in her room. She walks towards her closet, opens it, and stops. Should she be wearing something special to their outing tonight?

She shakes the thought from her head, annoyed with herself for thinking about this too hard. She's already decided it's a friendship date, so it shouldn't matter what she wears. Alice has already seen her in everything anyway. She closes her eyes for a second, willing herself to stop overthinking it. 

When she opens them again, she chooses the first thing she sees— a black top and some army green pants. It's an outfit she wears quite regularly, but she figures it looks nice enough. She changes into it quickly, and just as she's done pulling her top on, the doorbell rings.

She looks over to the alarm clock on her nightstand.

"Five o'clock," she murmurs, walking out of her room and towards the front door, "I wonder who it is."

She makes her way into the living room, stopping in front of the door. She closes an eye so that she can squint through the peephole, and is confused when she sees who it is. Unlocks the door, she swings it open to let Alice in.

"Hey, Monika!" Alice greets with a smile, stepping past her and into the house.

Monika stands there in silence, trying to come up with a reason for why Alice would be there so early. After all, Alice is never early to anything. Ever.

Alice laughs as if reading her mind, kicking off her shoes and throwing them on the shoe rack. 

"Our date still starts at eight," she explains, "But as your best friend, I still have to be here for the pre-date."

Monika knits her eyebrows together, even more confused. 

"Pre-date?" she asks.

"Mm-hmm," Alice nods, "It's when you're about to go out on a date with a super hot guy, or—" she stops to gesture at herself, "In this case, una donna molto bella, and your friends all come over to hype you up and make you look nice."

"I don't think that's a thing, Alice..."

"It is when you're friends with me! See—" she says, holding up a bag that Monika didn't realize she was carrying, "I brought makeup and everything. You're going to look gorgeous when I'm done with you."

She walks towards Monika's room, not even waiting for Monika to agree, and Monika follows behind reluctantly.

"You know it's just going to be the two of us, right? Isn't this a bit much for just an outing between friends?"

Alice gasps, turning around so quickly she almost clocks Monika with her bag.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing," Monika says, but Alice ignores it.

"It's not just an outing with friends!" she exclaims, "It's a date! A Valentine's date!"

Monika can't help herself. All her unsaid hopes and worries from before come back at full force. She grits her teeth and clenches her fists, pushing those thoughts down. She shouldn't get too ahead of herself, Alice is just overly friendly sometimes, that's all this is. She asks about it anyways.

"You mean... like a 'date' date?" she says, voice coming out far more hopeful than she wants it to be.

Alice flashes her a grin and winks, "Yes! Exactly like a 'date' date!"

Monika blanks, utterly unprepared for this scenario. She feels like her soul just left her body, or like she's floating on air, thousands of miles above the atmosphere. This is equally the best moment of her entire life, and she's standing there gaping because she has no idea how to react.

Unfortunately, Alice continues.

"Valentine's day is my favourite holiday so I want to give you a good one. Obviously it would be better if I could find a nice man to take you out, but I know you're still mad about last time so here I am!"

Nevermind, it's the worst moment of her life.

"Ahh, yes," she coughs, crashing down towards the Earth, "Well I'm just glad you're not trying to put me through that again."

Alice pushes open the door to Monika's room, skipping over to sit on her bed. She pats at the spot next to her, waiting for Monika to plop down beside her with a grunt before she can start unzipping her makeup bag.

"So do you know what you're wearing yet?" she asks, rifling through her bag, "It'll be easier to come up with a good makeup look if I know."

Monika looks down at her outfit, feeling just a tiny bit embarrassed. Of course Alice would've expected her to dress up a bit.

"I was just going to wear this," she says.

Alice hums, giving her a once-over. She sounds a little disappointed when she says, "But Monika, that's what you wear everyday."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Well no, but—" Alice says, pouting a little, "I know it's just me, but this is supposed to be a date. You should put a little more effort in."

She hops off the bed and marches towards the closet, throwing it open.

"Let's see, let's see," she whispers, rummaging through Monika's clothing, "Aha! This will work!"

She pulls out a skimpy black dress that was hidden away at the back of her closet. It sparkles when she moves it, shimmering under the fluorescent light. Monika takes one look at it and pales.

"Nein," she says, and Alice whines.

"What? But it's so cute!"

"It's not even mine. My sister left that here."

Alice frowns, holding the dress out in front of her and trying to gauge the size. "It should fit you, though," she says, alternating her gaze between the dress and her friend.

"Nein," Monika repeats, and Alice frown harder, dropping the dress to her side.

"Please?" she says, moving so that she's directly in front of Monika. She puts on her best puppy dog eyes and pleads with her, "I just want you to look nice for Valentine's day, and this dress would make you so sexy."

Monika sputters, suddenly incapable of stringing together full sentences, "I— I— Sexy?"

"Uh-huh, super sexy."

She flushes red, tearing her eyes away from the brunette. Alice smiles at the reaction, knowing that she's won.

"Here—" she says, dropping the garment onto Monika's lap, "Change into it now so we know that it fits."

"What? But I didn't... fine," she says, storming out of the room to change. Alice giggles at her blushing friend, going back to searching her bag.

She picks out a couple of products and lays them on the bed. She's pretty sure she knows what she wants to do now— something a bit natural to fit Monika's personality, but also with a touch of red. It is Valentine's day after all. 

Monika comes back a few minutes later, and Alice is stunned by the reveal. She hoots and hollers from her place on the bed, skipping over to look at the dress more closely.

"It fits you perfectly!" she says, clapping her hands with delight, "You look amazing!"

Monika stands there awkwardly, pulling at the dress so that it comes down just a bit more. It's so short that it just barely covers her ass, and it has a v-neck that's just a bit too deep for her liking. Alice clearly loves it though, doling out compliments left and right as she circles around her.

"I think this is just a little bit much for me," Monika says through grit teeth.

"No, no, it's perfect! I was right, you look super sexy! Super duper sexy even!"

Monika looks away, "Still..."

Alice places a hand on her shoulder, knowing it's best not to push her too hard at this stage.

"Well, maybe it is a bit too short for what we'll be doing later. Do you have any tights you could wear with it?"

Monika thinks about it for a second, "I should, ja. What will we be doing later?"

"Nope," Alice says, popping the 'p' and making a gesture to show that her lips are shut, "I can't tell you ahead of time. It'll ruin the surprise!"

"Not even a hint?"

"Not even a hint."

Monika sighs, "Well should I get the tights out now then?"

Alice thinks about it before shaking her head, "No, do it later. I wanna get your makeup done before I go."

"You're leaving?"

"Well yeah, I still have to get myself ready silly," she says, dragging Monika back over to the bed with her, "Now sit down and let's do this."

She picks up a bottle of moisturizer she left out on the bed, squeezing a dollop onto her finger. She motions for Monika to come closer who reluctantly obliges. She starts gently rubbing the cream onto her face, poking and prodding and smoothing out her skin in order to get full coverage. Monika swallows, trying not to think about how close they are right now.

"This might be a little difficult," Alice explains, "Since your skin colour's a little different from mine and I really only have one colour of foundation, but hopefully it's not too noticeable."

Monika nods, not really understanding what she's talking about anyway. Alice pulls out a tin of powder, flipping it open and dipping into it with a large round brush. She starts dusting it all over Monika's face, and Monika needs to hold herself back from sneezing. She shuts her eyes as well, preferring not to get powder in them. The brush feels scratchy against her skin, though not necessarily in a bad way.

"You have really nice skin you know," says Alice out of nowhere. It catches Monika by surprise, opening up her eyes to look at her.

"Um, thanks?"

Alice continues, "I wish I had skin this nice. I could get away with wearing less makeup if I did." 

"... I think you have nice skin."

Alice laughs, snapping her tin of powder closed, "Awww, well thank you. I'm going to do your eyes next, okay?"

Monika nods, shutting her eyes again. She listens as Alice uncaps something, pulling it apart with a pop.

"Eyelid primer," Alice says, as if Monika has any idea what that is.

Whatever it is, Alice starts dabbing it onto her eyelids, spreading it up until it reaches her brow. It feels a bit tacky, like a piece of glue that hasn't dried yet, but at least it doesn't take her long to put on. When she's done, Alice reaches over to grab multiple things at once. Monika knows because she can hear them all clinking together, feeling the bed dip down everytime Alice grabs for something new.

She glides a brush across her lids, powder again, but this time the brush feels less bristly. She repeats this a few times, continuously loading up the brush with more colour. The whole process takes longer than she thought it would. Monika never realized how much time went into putting on makeup. She sighs, relaxing into the moment. She stops paying attention to the little details, and just sits there, allowing Alice to brush and poke and run her fingers over her skin to her heart's content. By the time Alice is finished with just her eyes, it feels like she's been sitting there for hours.

"Alright," Alice says, "You can open them now."

Monika flutters her eyes open before shutting them immediately. She's had her eyes closed so long that they've grown sensitive to the light. She tries again, slower this time, and practically jumps out of her skin when she realizes how close Alice is. Alice hovers over her, face just inches away. She squints her eyes, bringing her hand up to Monika's face so that she can tilt her head back and forth, inspecting her work. She pulls back, looking pleased with herself.

"It looks good," she says, reaching into her bag just one last time. 

She pulls out a tube of lipstick, and Monika sighs in relief. At least that's one thing she recognizes. Alice pops the cap off, twisting the bottom of the tube to reveal a bright red colour.

"Last but not least," she announces, like a magician performing his final trick for the night, "A bold lip."

She pushes her thumb against Monika's chin, willing her to pop her mouth open. When Monika complies, she glides the red against her lips, careful not to colour outside the lines. She messes up a bit at one part, so she licks her thumb to wipe it off, and Monika gulps at the action. Then, it's all over.

Alice pulls back, clicking the lid back on her lipstick. She picks up all her makeup products off the bed and throws them back into her bag, zipping it up afterwards. She look back at Monika, pointing over to a full length mirror on the other side of the room.

"Check it out," she says, "I think I did a really good job."

Monika nods, pushing herself off the bed to go look in the mirror. She's shocked at what she sees. Alice had put so many different products on her face that she had assumed she'd come out looking like a clown. Instead, she looks mostly like herself. A version of herself with slightly darker eyes and bright red lips. It looks good, she thinks.

"I like it," she says.

Alice walks over to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you like it," she says, "And the dress looks good too. Please don't take it off while I'm gone."

Monika relents, agreeing despite herself, "Well I suppose if it's only for tonight."

Alice grins, wrapping her arms around Monika in excitement, "It is, it is, I promise."

She stands up on her tippy-toes and kisses Monika on the cheek. It's a simple sign of affection that Monika has never quite gotten used to. She then pulls away, grabbing her makeup bag off the bed and turning to leave.

"Arrivederci bellissima," she says, already halfway out the door, "I'll be back at eight!"

Monika waves goodbye to her, gingerly touching her cheek with her other hand. When she hears the front door close, she lets out a deep breath, mildly disappointed in herself for being swayed so easily.

"I suppose I should go find those tights," she says.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alice shows up again just fifteen minutes after eight, a suprisingly good time for her. What's more suprising though, is the way that she's dressed. Monika isn't sure what she expects to see when she opens the door that evening, but it isn't this.

Alice leans her hand against the doorframe. She's dressed in a well-fitted pantsuit and twiddling a fake mustache between her fingers. She drops her voice low and says, "Greetings, fair lady. Are you excited for our date tonight?"

The persona is dropped almost immediately as she bursts into a fit of giggles, amused by her own stunt. Monika quirks an eyebrow at her, stepping outside in order to lock the door.

"What's with the mustache?" she asks, "And the pantsuit?"

Alice strikes a pose, showing off the wide legs on her pants.

"What, you don't like it?"

Monika glances over it. It's fairly feminine for a pantsuit. It's something you'd probably see on a runway, rather than at the office, but it still doesn't really fit Alice's usual style.

"No, it looks nice," she says, "I'm just not used to you wearing pants I guess."

Alice smirks, switching back to twiddling her mustache, "I've decided I'm going to be the man tonight! It's your first real Valentine's day, so I have to treat you like a princess."

Monika snorts, "Is that what that mustache is for?"

Alice laughs, tearing it off, "No that was just a joke. Chiara had it lying around and I thought it would be funny."

Monika nods, leaning against the door with a smirk, "It looked good on you. Maybe you should grow a real one."

"Hey!" Alice gasps, "Did you just make a joke? Wow, our date is already off to such a good start."

She reaches over to link their elbows together, leading Monika down the pathway to her car. Carmen is there, already waiting in the front seat, and she rolls down her window to say hi.

"Hola Monika!" she greets happily.

Monika nods politely back at her.

"Carmen agreed to be our chauffeur all day because she's so nice," Alice says, and Carmen blinks.

"I thought it was because you lost your license, Alice?"

She laughs nervously, shrinking away from the angry German who is now glaring at her.

"What?" she asks, demanding an explanation.

"Okay, listen. It's not as bad as it sounds—"

"How could that not be as bad as it sounds?"

Carmen laughs from the car. "You two get along so well," she says, "But you should really stop bickering if we want to make it downtown in time. Let's all have a good Valentine's day, si?"

Monika grumbles to herself, finding herself agreeing with the woman.

"Fine," she says, and Alice breathes a sigh of relief, "We'll be talking about this later, though."

"Aye aye, sir!" Alice salutes, skipping over to the passenger's side door and opening it to let Monika in. She follows behind her, quickly shutting the door and strapping her seatbelt on.

"So do I get to know where we're going yet?" Monika asks.

"We're going ice-skating," Alice replies, "I thought it would be fun to go once before winter's over."

Monika hums, "That does sound fun." 

She's glad that they're doing something physical for tonight. She's never been very good with small talk, and while she's never had any issues with speaking to Alice before, she's a bit nervous tonight. She isn't sure just how far Alice is planning to take this whole charade of hers. She doesn't need to fall any harder for someone who isn't going to like her back.

"I'm glad you think so," she says, "I also picked it because ice-skating can be pretty romantic."

"Oh yeah?"

"For sure," she says, snuggling into Monika's neck, "I'll hold you real close for warmth and we can skate under the stars."

"Ahh," she says, feeling her face get hot, "I see how that could be romantic."

"Right?"

Monika licks her lips, barely hearing another word that's said for the entire rest of the drive. Carmen and Alice chat to eachother in the background, but Monika just stares out the window, transfixed by all the lights flashing past their window. It's quite beautiful actually, the way they did the city up for Valentine's day. Flowers and neon hearts abound, and they're driving so fast that it all sort of melts into a soft pink haze.

By the time they make it downtown, Monika is struggling to keep her eyes open. She yawns, perking up just a bit as they pull in to the ice-rink.

"Well," Carmen says, turning around, "Here you are. Have a nice night you two!"

"Will do!" Alice says, "Thank you for the ride, by the way."

"Ja, thanks for driving us."

Carmen smiles at them, "Anytime."

They undo their seatbelts, ready to leave, and Monika goes to open the car door but is stopped. She looks back at Alice, who's now grabbing her wrist.

"Wait a second," she says, letting go only to hop out of her own side of the car. 

Monika watches her as she speeds around the back of the car, sliding a little when she stops in front of Monika's side. She swings open the door, getting down on one knee like some kind of Disney-style prince.

"My lady," she winks, reaching out her hand. Monika takes it, just a little bit confused, and steps down from the car.

"Are you going to do this all night?" she asks.

"Absolutely!" Alice nods, practically fist pumping the air. Monika sighs, figuring she should just go along with it for the night.

They step away from the car, both waving goodbye to Carmen, before Alice takes her over to the skate rentals booth.

The rink itself is very pretty. Fairy light are strung up all over the place, fading daintily between blue and purple and pink. It's an outdoor rink, and a fairly small one at that, but it doesn't seem too crowded.

They move forward in line, and Alice starts talking to the cashier. She asks for two pairs of skates in sizes seven and nine, and Monika wonders for a secod how she even knew her shoe size anyway.

"Grazie," she says, passing her cash over the counter and being rewarded with two pairs of light grey skates.

She holds both pairs in her hands as they walk away, making their way over to a nearby bench in order to change. Monika sits down, but Alice doesn't. Instead she crouches down in front of Monika.

"I'll help you put yours on," she insists, reaching down to untie Monika's boots. She slides the right one off with a practiced grace, reaching for the appropriate skate on the bench. "This is kind of like Cinderella, huh?" she says as she slips it on.

Monika doesn't say anything, just watches her as she works. She laces up her skates with nimble hands, pulling the laces tight and tying them at the top in a cute bow. When she's done, she repeats the same process on the left.

"All done," she says, standing up so she can put on her own.

When they're both laced up, Alice helps Monika stand up, and they both wobble on over to the ice rink. There's little finesse in their movements, and they cling to each other for support, stepping onto the ice with an abundance of caution. Monika holds on to the side fencing , trying to keep them steady, while Alice hooks their arms together.

They find out that neither of them are very good ice-skaters. They're proficient enough to avoid crashing into other couples, or falling flat on their asses, but that's about it, and they laugh as they almost lose their balance a few times.

After a few minutes or so, Monika finally gets into the groove of things. Alice grips her arm tightly as she starts to speed up, and it's a nice feeling honestly. The cold air blowing past her face, the scrape of her blades across the ice, and the warm body attached to her side all work together in tandem, lighting a fire in her chest.

Alice must be feeling it too because she turns to her with a blinding smile, eyes crinkling up at the corners. Monika smiles back at her, turning around a bend in the rink just in time to avoid skating the two of them into a fence.

This, this she can handle. Without all the weird compliments and special attention being directed her way, this is just a nice night out with her best friend— and she likes spending time with Alice more than anything.

They continue skating for what seems like hours. Speeding up and then slowing down again, adding a twirl or two in every once in a while, the entire thing is exhilarating.

Music plays in the background, being filtered through tinny speakers that they strung up all around the rink. The song that's playing fades out into nothing, and turns into a song Monika's never heard before. Alice recoginzes it immediately though. Her eyes widen and she gasps, letting go of Monika's arm to grab her hands instead. She spins them around, allowing both of Monika's hands to wrap around her waist, as if hugging her from behind, and then she places her own hands on top.

Alice tilts her head back, offering, "I love this song," as her only explanation.

Monika blushes, but doesn't remove her hands. They continue to skate around the rink in this new position, slowing down their speed to match the rhythm of the music.

Alice starts to sing along. She flutters her eyes shut, voice dropping low to match the singer's. Monika always thought she had a nice singing voice, at least when she's really trying to sing well. Other times she's just making up short little jingles, singing off-key and out of tune. Monika likes those songs too, but this is different.

She begins to hum along with her, still unsure as to what any of the words are. Alice smiles, changing the way she's singing just enough so that they harmonize better. 

It's a sad song, from what little she can make out of the lyrics, but Alice makes it sound happy. When it tapers to an end, she falls silent, opening her eyes with a small little smile on her face. It's a look that makes Monika feel warm inside.

The people around them start to leave the ice, so she figures that must have been the last song for the night. Alice brushes her hands away, pulls out of her arms, and turns to face her.

"Drinks next?" she asks, and Monika nods. She was always in the mood for a beer.

They make their way over to the bench, quickly changing back into their shoes. Alice lets her do it herself this time, and Monika is grateful for that. After dropping their skates off at the rental place, they begin to head next door.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beside the skating rink is a restaurant and bar, which they pick entirely due to its location. Alice asks for a spot out on the patio despite the cold weather and their waiter, an older looking gentleman with a mustache, brings them over to a table beside a roaring heater.

Alice pulls out a chair for Monika, who unceremoniously plops down onto it. She's still feeling some kind of way about Alice's whole 'gentleman' routine, but doesn't take long to dwell on it as Alice walks around the table to grab a seat for herself. When they're both comfortable in their seats, Alice pulls out a menu from the centre of the table.

"Did you want some food to go along with your beer?" she asks, not sure if Monika has eaten already.

"What do they have?"

Alice skims over the menu, looking for anything interesting, "Pretty standard bar food, honestly."

"No thank you then," she answers politely.

"You sure?" Alice asks, "I think I'm gonna get a slice of pizza."

"Isn't bar pizza usually kind of bad?"

"Well pizza is pizza."

"You say that now..."

The waiter comes back over to take their orders, and Alice asks for a single slice of pizza with some fancy grape-flavoured cocktail on the side. Monika just orders a pale lager. He scribbles both of their orders down onto a notepad, smiling at them as he walks away.

When he's out of sight, Alice turns back to Monika, a dopey grin plastered on her face. She reaches across the table to grab Monika's hands between her own, dropping her voice down to a whisper.

"You look really nice tonight," she says, in a serious tone of voice.

Monika averts her gaze, feeling her hands get a bit sweaty. Honestly, she thinks the compliment is a bit silly. Alice did all the work, she just sat there the whole time.

"You're the one who did my makeup," she says, "And picked out the dress."

Alice blows a raspberry at her, shaking her head in disappointment, "That's not what makes you look nice. You always look nice. You just look extra nice today."

She lets go of Monika's hands, reaching over to push a strand of hair out of Monika's face. 

"See, your hair's all soft and pretty and I didn't do anything to that. Plus you're always like, all buff and strong and cool all the time!"

"I— um, thanks," she says, following it up with a weak, "I think you look nice all the time too."

Alice grins, and is about to reply when the waiter comes back to interrupt their little moment. They look up at him and he sneers, practically slamming their drinks down on the table before walking away. They both freeze, staring shellshocked at the man. What on Earth was that about?

"Hey," Alice whispers, "Wasn't our waiter just like, super rude back there?"

Monika stares down at the table, now slightly wet with beer. The impact was so strong that he'd spilled a bit of her drink. What an asshole.

"Ja," she agrees, "I don't know what his problem was."

"He didn't even bring me my pizza," Alice grumbles, grabbing at the straw in her drink and taking one long and angry sip.

Monika follows after her, bringing her own drink up to her lips and chugging it down. It's not the best beer ever, but she's had worse. She sighs, deciding it's best to just forget the man's hostility and change the subject.

"So how did you even get Carmen to drive us here? I didn't know you guys were close. I never see you talking during work."

Alice snickers at the question, taking her lips off her straw to say, "She used to babysit me and my sister when we were younger. Didn't I ever tell you that?"

Monika blinks. "What? No, I definitely would've remembered that. How old is she?"

"She's not that much older than us," Alice explains, "I think she was maybe fifteen when she started babysitting? And then Chiara was eleven and I was ten."

"Huh," Monika says, "Go figure. I always assumed she was the same age as us."

"Nope! Not at all, but I'm sure she'd be happy to hear you said that. She seems to think she's getting old."

"Well, we're all getting old."

"Here! Here!" Alice shouts, holding out her drink. Monika clinks her glass against hers, and goes back to drinking.

The waiter shows up again, still walking around with a pole shoved up his ass.

"Can you two be a little bit quieter?" he asks, voice seething with anger as he drops down a slice of pizza onto their table. He begins to walk away with an irritable huff, when Monika clenches her fist, slamming it hard against the table.

"Just what exactly is your problem with us?" she asks, clearly irritated.

The waiter crosses his arms, looking down at her with a deep grimace.

"What makes you think I have a problem?" he asks in a tone of voice that screams 'I definitely have a problem', "All I did was ask you to keep your voice down."

Alice frets over on the other side of the table, looking back and forth between their waiter and Monika. 

"If you think for a second that's going to work on—"

"Hey Monika," Alice interrupts, "Let's just go." She turns to the waiter for the next part and says, "Can you get us our bill? Just one please?"

The waiter tsks, rolling his eyes. He doesn't reply, just storms away to get their bill, muttering, "Yeah I'll bet," under his breath.

Monika shoots up from the table, ready to go after him, but Alice stops her. She springs forward and grabs onto her waist to hold her back.

"Please don't," she says, practically on the verge of tears, "It's not worth it. They'll call the police or something and I'll have to bail you out of jail and Valentine's day will be ruined."

Monika grits her teeth, ripping Alice's hands off of her, but making no more efforts to move. She waits impatiently for the man to come back, glaring at him when he finally does.

The waiter ignores her, dropping their bill down onto the table. Alice pays swiftly, grabbing Monika's hand on the way out so that she can drag her away before she does anything stupid.

Well they're never going back to that restaurant, that's for sure.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They're halfway back to Monika's place before either of them say anything again. Monika's just been stewing in anger the whole time, mumbling curse words under her breath, while Alice has been chewing on her slice of (frankly terrible) pizza.

Alice groans. This wasn't how today was supposed to go at all. At least the skating had been nice, but she can't believe she never thought to check out reviews for the bar. When she gets home, she's going to leave a scathing one of her own. She sighs, upset with her own lack of forethought.

They walk past an elderly couple, whispering to eachother in the street, and for some reason it gives her pause. She watches as the old man pulls out a lovely bouquet, gifting it to his partner. The woman grins, wrapping her arms around his neck to give him a kiss. See, that was the kind of Valentine's day she wanted to have. That was the kind of Valentine's day she wanted to have for Monika too.

She stops walking, feeling herself get angry. Fuck that waiter, and fuck her pessimism. She could still turn this date around. The night is young, and she's sure that at least one flower shop is still open. 

She turns to Monika, who's already walked a bit ahead of her without noticing, and shouts, "Monika! Quit walking!"

Her friend turns around, still at least a little bit irritated. She crosses her arms up over her chest and says, "Ja? What do you want?"

Alice jogs on up to her, "What's your favourite kind of flower?"

"...What?"

"It's Valentine's day and I haven't bought you flowers yet, so what's your favourite kind of flower?"

Monika looks at her like she's crazy, but her demeanour does soften a bit when she registers the words.

"You don't have to buy me flowers," she says softly.

Alice shakes her head, vigorously denying her statement, "I do though! I promised you that I'd treat you like a princess today and I will!"

Monika frowns at her, "You really don't have to do this for me. Valentine's day is almost over, and—"

"It's not over yet."

"Well no, but—"

"It's not over yet," she repeats, not backing down.

She looks so determined that Monika just decides to give in.

"Cornflowers," she answers.

"Alright, cornflowers! We're off to get some cornflowers then!"

She moves with purpose, grabbing on to Monika's hand and squeezing it tightly so she can't let go. She leads her down the street, fairly certain that there's a florist just a block away from where they are. She prays that it isn't closed already.

They make it down the street in record time, and Alice breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that the lights are still on. She barells her way through the front door, never letting go of Monika's hand. A bell chimes to mark their arrival.

Poking out from behind the shop, comes a smiley-faced old man, who's grin only grows wider after seeing the two of them. Alice marches right up to him, plastering a smile on her face and dragging Monika behind.

"What can I do for you two pretty ladies?" asks the old man.

"We need cornflowers," Alice explains, "It's a Valentine's day emergency!"

The man frowns, wringing his hands, "Well I'm afraid cornflowers are out of season right now, miss."

The words cut through Alice like a knife, and she slumps over as if her spirit had just been crushed. Monika winces at the sight, as Alice lets out a cry of despair.

"Noooo," she whines, slumping down even further, "But this was my last shot."

Monika flounders, trying to lift her spirits back up.

"Hey don't look so upset. It's fine, I told you you don't have to get me anything," she says, speaking rapidly.

Alice doesn't react at all, but the old man looks curiously between them.

"Oh, so the flowers are for you then? Why cornflowers specifically?"

Monika turns to face him, not sure what she should do about Alice, "I just... like cornflowers."

The old man smiles, "Well, if that's all, you know in some countries cornflowers represent a hope for love. You don't need something like that with such a lovely and considerate lady on your arm. Why don't you choose something else instead?"

"Oh, I—" she says, "No, we're not like—"

"I'm not considerate, she's considerate," Alice whines, standing up straight again. Monika balks at the interruption, but the old man just laughs.

"Yes, yes, of course. And she's very lovely too. You make a beautiful couple."

"She is lovely, isn't she? She didn't believe me earlier."

Alice turns to Monika, looking slightly less depressed. "Was there anything else you might like?" she asks hopefully.

Monika sweeps her eyes across the room, pointing to the very first arrangement that catches her eye. It's a simple one, just a bunch of roses resting in a clear glass vase, but if it makes Alice feel any better then it's perfect.

Alice hums, walking over to the arrangement to look closer at it.

"Are you sure?" she asks, "I could get you something more expensive?"

Monika shakes her head, not wanting Alice to spend too much money on her anyways. "No," she says, "That one's good."

Alice picks it up, bringing it over to the old man behind the counter and smiling, "We'll take this one, please."

"Good choice," he says, ringing her up.

Once it's all paid for, Alice brings the arrangement over to Monika and places it in her hands. 

"For you," she says, smiling at her brightly.

"Thanks," Monika replies.

They wave goodbye to the old man as they walk out the door, leaving the store in much better spirits than they went in with, and start walking the rest of the way home. Alice hums, walking with her hands behind her back, while Monika keeps both hands tightly wrapped around her gift.

That isn't to say they're in amazing spirits though, because Alice stops suddenly, looking back at her with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry I ruined our date earlier. I shouldn't have taken us there."

Monika shakes her head, "You didn't know it would be like that. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"He deserved it!" Alice says, throwing a fake punch at the air, "He was such a dick, and for no reason too."

Monika clicks her tongue, looking off into the street with an irritated expression, "No good reason anyway."

Alice sighs, moving over so that she can lean against Monika while she walks. "You're like my knight in shining armour sometimes," she says wistfully, and then her mood turns sour again, "I wanted to you to have a good time today."

Monika grips her gift just a little bit tighter.

"I did," she says.

Alice looks up at her, fairly certain that she's being lied to. "Really?" she asks.

Monika nods, "I always have fun with you."

Alice's face brightens, "I'm so glad you're my best friend. I hope we stay best friends forever."

Monika looks back at her, smiling sadly.

"Ja," she says, "Me too."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alice walks her all the way home and up to her door, dropping her voice down low once more to say, "It was a pleasure to take you out for the evening, madam."

"Yes, yes, and it was a pleasure to be taken out by you."

"Anytime, bellissima."

There's a short pause, where neither of them know what else to say, and Monika breaks the silence by shifting her flowers into one hand, and coughing into the other.

"Thank you for the flowers by the way," she says, tilting them up a bit.

Alice smiles, "Take good care of them."

"I will, don't worry."

She places the vase on the ground before reaching into her jacket pocket to grab her keys. Alice stands still where she is, not making any attempts to leave, and Monika looks back at her, curious.

"Did you want to stay over tonight?" she asks, but Alice just shakes her head.

"No, Chiara is waiting for me at home, and she'll hate it if I'm late. She probably wants to brag about her own date."

"Oh."

She goes back to unlocking her door, ignoring the other woman on her porch. It clicks open, and she quickly shoves her keys back into her pockets. She turns around and Alice still hasn't budged an inch.

"Um," she says, "If you don't want to stay over then..."

"Why am I still here?" she asks. Monika frowns.

"Well I wasn't going to say it like that."

Alice grins, unphased. She leans forward a bit, pointing to her cheek.

"I took you out on a nice date, I should get a goodbye kiss, no?"

"Ahh," Monika says.

She rolls her eyes, leaning down just to humour her. When she goes to kiss her friend on the cheek though, Alice places her hands on both sides of her head, pulling her down just to smush their lips together. Monika freezes. It's a short kiss, lasting only a few seconds, but that doesn't stop her brain from short-circuiting.

Alice pulls away, blushing a little. Her lips are stained with the same bright red lipstick that Monika is wearing, but she makes no attempts to rub it off. She looks up to Monika, face hopeful, but it falls when Monika doesn't react at all. She swallows hard, looking away like she's nervous.

She plays it off, laughing awkwardly as she says, "I just thought I should give you the full experience you know?"

Monika doesn't move even an inch, still frozen to her porch, and Alice starts to look worried. She waves a hand in front of her face, urging her to say something, anything at all.

"Hey Monika, are you there? Hey seriously, are you there?"

Monika moves her hand up to her face, gingerly touching her lips, but she still doesn't say anything. Alice really starts to panic then.

"Hey Monika? Please say something. I'm really sorry. If you didn't like it, I didn't mean it."

"Didn't... like it?"

Alice swallows, mouth feeling a bit dry.

"I just thought... I mean... I guess I caught up in the whole Valentine's day thing? You can just forget about it actually. Please don't hate me."

Monika knits her eyebrows together. "Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

Alice laughs, scratching at the back of her head while barely making eye contact, "I mean, I've been flirting with you all night and you seemed uncomfortable with it the whole time... I thought that was just you being you, but I guess I should just learn to take a hint, huh?"

"I... What?" Monika says, "No, that was just because it was Valentine's day."

Alice frowns, "I was also because I was taking you out on a date."

"What? No! Not a real date though!"

"Yes a real date! I told you it was a real date!"

"You also said it would be better if you found a man to take me out!"

Alice blinks, and then pauses to look away, embarrassed, "Well it would, wouldn't it? You are straight after all."

"What?" she says, having trouble processing the words. She stares at Alice with an incredulous expression, "You think I'm straight?"

Alice nods, and suddenly her entire demeanour changes. 

"Hah?" she shouts, mildly offended, and Alice shrinks back at the intensity of it.

"Well you are, aren't you?"

"No!" she shouts, "What on Earth would give you the impression that I'm straight?"

"I— I don't know! You always seem to look away or act uncomfortable when I kiss you and stuff. Why are you yelling at me?"

"Because I—" she starts, before suddenly remembering what they were arguing about in the first place. She thinks back over the whole day. Alice had just taken her out on a date... Alice had just kissed her. Her face flushes red, "I— I— I've liked you for years!"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes!"

"Awww, well why didn't you just say so?" Alice says, pulling Monika into a crushing hug, "I like you too!"

Monika returns the hug reluctantly. She just can't believe it. She's on cloud nine. She's running through a field of daisies. She's on the top of Mount Everest, screaming to the heavens, she's—

"You know if we both like each other," Alice says, shyly pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "Maybe I should call Chiara up and tell her I'll be busy tonight."

Monika quirks an eyebrow up at her, "Busy? How will you be busy?"

Alice rolls her eyes, smirking as if she just heard something silly. "You know," she says, trailing her hands up and down Monika's sides before leaning over to whisper in her ear, "Busy."

Alice pulls away giggling, but when she looks back up at her Monika's face is blank.

"Monika? Hey, are you there? Monika?"

—Frozen again.


End file.
